Delhi, Agra and Jaipur form India’s Golden Triangle, the classic first route for visitors, with Mughal tombs, Rajput forts and the Taj Mahal all within a few hours of each other. Our 15-day childcare and elephant experience follows the same route, but you spend much of the time working: a week with children at projects in Delhi and three days at a rescue center for elephants near Agra.
Trains, guides and sightseeing are arranged for you, and there is no elephant riding or performing anywhere on the trip. Here is how the 15 days unfold, and how to tell an ethical elephant project from one to avoid.
Week one: children’s projects in Delhi
We meet you at Delhi airport on Day 1, a Sunday, and Day 2 is your orientation on the program, the city and staying safe. On Day 3, a guided tour takes you to Qutub Minar, the Lotus Temple, Humayun’s Tomb and India Gate.
From Day 4 to Day 6, you volunteer at a day-care center or shelter home, helping the staff with games, simple lessons and activities. The children are usually delighted to see new faces, and a few ready-made games or songs go a long way. Day 7 is free to explore Delhi on your own.
Agra and the Taj Mahal
On Day 8, an air-conditioned train takes you to Agra. You visit the Taj Mahal, the white marble mausoleum that Emperor Shah Jahan built in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and see how Agra’s marble inlay work is made. You spend the night in Agra.
Three days at the elephant rescue center
Days 9 to 11 are spent at a rescue center for elephants near Agra. The elephants there have been rescued, and trained keepers and vets look after them. The center exists for the animals’ welfare, not to put on a show for visitors.
After a briefing on site, you work from about 9am to 5pm. Elephants eat an enormous amount, so much of the day goes on chopping fruit and preparing food and fodder. You also make and repair enrichment, tend the gardens and plant nursery, help in the visitor center and walk alongside the elephants with their keepers. You watch the elephants walk and bathe from the distance the keepers set: volunteers don’t ride, bathe or hug them. You stay in the center’s volunteer house, with all three meals included and quiet evenings in the countryside.
Jaipur, the Pink City
On Day 12, you take the train to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, where we meet you at the station. Day 13 is a guided tour of the City Palace, the Galta Ji monkey temple and the bazaars, with a stop at Jal Mahal, the palace in the lake. On Day 14, an early start takes you to Hawa Mahal, built in 1799 with a honeycomb of small windows so that royal women could watch the street below without being seen, and to the hilltop Amber Fort. The evening train brings you back to Delhi, and on Day 15 you head home.
How to recognize ethical elephant volunteering
Elephant experiences are advertised all over Asia, and not all of them put the animals first. Before you book any elephant project, in India or anywhere else, look for these signs:
- No riding, anywhere. Animal welfare groups warn that carrying riders can injure elephants, and the training needed to make them accept riders is often harsh.
- No performing. Painting, tricks, parades and shows mean the elephants are there to entertain visitors.
- The keepers set the distance. At a good center, you watch elephants walk and bathe from where the keepers say. Bathing, hugging and selfies with elephants are for the visitor’s benefit, not the animal’s.
- Rescued animals, cared for by experts. Ask where the elephants came from, and whether vets and trained keepers look after them.
- Work that is about the elephants. Expect to prepare food, clean, garden and build enrichment, not to spend the day in close contact.
- Space and a natural diet. Elephants should have room to move and forage, not stand on short chains between visitor sessions.
Who the trip suits
The program is open from age 17, with a consent form signed by a parent for under-18s, and starts on two Sundays a month. Because you work with children in Delhi, you need a clean criminal background check issued within 12 months of your start date. You should be fit and happy to work outdoors in the heat. It fits neatly into a winter, spring or summer break, and suits anyone who wants to see the highlights of North India while doing something useful.
The price covers your airport pickup, accommodation throughout, trains between the three cities, guided sightseeing, both placements, the meals in the plan and support from our team day and night. Monument entry fees, meals not listed, flights, your visa and travel insurance are not included, and we can arrange your transfer back to the airport at extra cost. See dates and prices for the full cost. If you are already volunteering in Delhi and only want the sightseeing, our three-day Golden Triangle tour covers Jaipur and Agra by car.
Questions about the elephant center or the itinerary? Email info@volunteeringindia.com.